AUGUST 25, 1997:
When does a "disturbance" become a "riot"? "When whites are confronting
blacks, rocks and bottles are being thrown at cops in riot gear, and a
store is looted and burned...you put those elements together and it sounds
like a riot to me," said Associated Press news editor Frank Baker.

Baker, a nine-year AP veteran who moved to Nashville less than two
months ago, drew strong criticism from Metro police, Mayor Phil Bredesen,
and local journalists for calling last week's confrontation at an East
Nashville housing project a "riot" in an AP news story distributed
nationwide.

"Nobody else called it a riot but the Associated Press," said
Tennessean editor Frank Sutherland, who discussed the issue at
length with his staff. "To me it wasn't a riot. That's a very inflammatory
word." Sutherland sent an e-mail to AP bureau chief Kent Flanagan
questioning the use of what Flanagan now calls "the `R' word."

"[Sutherland] was concerned about the image of the city," Flanagan said.
The day after the incident, newspapers around the country published the AP
story, which referred to "the rioting" and included a headline written by
Baker: "Crowd riots after officer kills suspect."

Although Flanagan said he "personally wouldn't have called the incident
a riot," he stands by the AP's reporting of the incident and bristled at
criticisms from Bredesen.

Both Bredesen and the police accused the wire service of exaggerating
the size of the crowd that confronted police in the Sam Levy Homes after
the fatal shooting of Leon Fisher early last Sunday. Based on statements
from several witnesses, AP reporter Add Seymour Jr. wrote that "a crowd of
200 to 300" gathered after the shooting and that "some threw rocks and
bottles at police." Metro officers said the crowd numbered fewer than 100
people.

Thinking that the AP had reported a crowd of "400," Bredesen complained
to the Scene that the AP had carelessly given readers a distorted
picture of the incident. In fact, the only mention of "400" in the AP story
was a reference to the number of people who had completed a job-training
program at the store.

Seymour, a young African American who grew up a few blocks from the Sam
Levy Homes, said, "On a hot weekend night, there would have been at least
200 or more people outside even if there hadn't been a shooting." Seymour
says he also questioned Baker's use of the word "riot" but was overruled.
"I don't know how much of a riot it was," he said, "but it wasn't my
call."

Meanwhile, similar discussions were going on in other Nashville
newsrooms.

"We made sure we didn't call it a riot," said WKRN-Channel 2 reporter
Andy Cordan. "I lived in South Central L.A.," he said, adding that he knows
the difference between a riot and a disturbance. WSMV-Channel 4 news
director Al Tompkins even issued a memo banning use of the word "riot" in
connection with the Settle Court incident unless "someone in authority
chose to use that word."

In retrospect, Flanagan says the issue "was a learning experience for my
people." Though Baker still insists he made the right choice, he
acknowledges that the incident has made him more sensitive to the nuance
and power of words and the impact of one line in an AP story on the
national wire.

In making a tough judgment call, Baker leaned one way; Flanagan,
Sutherland, and Tompkins leaned the other. Perhaps it's because Baker, 31,
is too young to remember the race riots of 1967 and 1968. Even in
Nashville, which was relatively peaceful, the presence of tanks, troops,
curfews, and Molotov cocktails left a powerful impression. It's likely the
other three journalists, who are 15 to 20 years older than Baker, can't
help but remember those images whenever the word "riot" is used in a news
story.

Extra news

Laurels to WTVF-Channel 5's Larry Brinton for breaking two unusual
stories last week, while everyone else in the media ignored them.

On Aug. 6, just after noon, a well-dressed couple stepped through a
large, fourth-floor window at the Metro Courthouse to a six-foot ledge
overlooking James Robertson Parkway. There, hidden from the cars below but
in full view of amazed prisoners and guards at the Metro Jail across the
street, the couple had what used to be called a "nooner," i.e., an amorous
afternoon rendezvous. Brinton not only told the story but showed still
pictures from a videotape taken by a jail employee. "We could only show
photos," Brinton said. "There was no way we could run the actual tape."
Brinton said he is still trying to learn the couples' names.

Last Thursday, Brinton scored again, reporting that Metro Fire
Department captain Michael Wilkerson, who commands a West Nashville fire
hall, shot a bottle rocket into the station bathroom, injuring a female
paramedic. After apologizing for the prank, Wilkerson was suspended for 10
days, losing almost $2,000 in pay. Well-meaning friends, however,
circulated a fund-raising letter, requesting a "love offering" for the
captain. Department spokeswoman Jean Ridley said the paramedic is
undergoing ear surgery this week and may suffer permanent hearing loss. She
added that the fund-raiser was a flop.

Without video, it's understandable why the other stations didn't follow
up on Brinton's stories. But the daily papers have no excuse. Both stories
belonged on the front of the "Local News" and "Metro/Region" sections. Any
journalist who doesn't intuitively understand that is in the wrong
profession.

To comment or complain about the media, leave a message for Henry at
the Scene (615-244-7989, ext. 445), call him at his office, 615-252-2363,
or send an e-mail to hwalker@bccb.com.